John Dunham States (16 June 1925 – 26 March 2015)[2] was an American orthopedic surgeon who dedicated his career to improving automotive safety.
John D. States | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Dunham States June 16, 1925 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 2015 (aged 89) Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of Rochester (graduated 1946) Harvard Medical School (M.D.) |
| Occupation | Orthopedic surgeon |
| Known for | Work on automobile safety |
| Spouse | Sally Johnson States (married 1952) |
| Children | 4 |
| Notes | |
Early life
editBorn in Rochester, New York, States was a graduate of the University of Rochester, and received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School.[2] In his early life, he was a precocious engineer.[3] He had built toy cars at the age of six, and drove in a vehicle he made himself by the time he reached high school.[3] States had wanted to be an engineer, but his father convinced him to be a doctor instead.[3]
In 1952, he moved to Texas, serving in the U.S. Air Force's medical corps as a captain.[2] He was a professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Rochester from 1976 to 1990.[citation needed]
Career
editHis interest in automotive safety began when he served as race physician for the Watkins Glen International Speedway. As race physician, he learned the risks to the driver of being thrown from the car and the protection afforded by seat belts.[citation needed]
In 1966, he developed the first set of automobile safety standards.[4] In 1970, he developed an improved shoulder harness to restrain the upper body and prevent injuries that occur when the occupant hits the dashboard or windshield.[5]
States drafted the New York State seat belt law in 1983, the first such law in the US.[6] Similar laws have now been adopted in 49 states,[7] and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration credits these laws with dramatically increasing seat belt use and decreasing injuries and fatalities from traffic accidents.[8][9]
Recognition
editStates received the Distinguished Career Award from the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine of the American Public Health Association in 2000,[10] the Excalibur Award from the National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council[citation needed] and was cited for his work on public safety by Governor Mario Cuomo.[citation needed] He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.[citation needed] He served as a member of the National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council[citation needed] and chaired the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Medical Advisory Board.[citation needed] He was also a visiting scientist at the Centers for Disease Control.[citation needed]
He was the author of 83 scientific publications[11] and held a patent for an improved seat belt latch.[12]
Death
editStates died in Rochester in 2015, aged 89.[13][2] He had had two sons and two daughters.[3]
References
edit- ^ Roberts, Sam (2015-04-01). "John D. States Dies at 89; Doctor Helped Create New York's Seatbelt Law". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (2015-04-01). "John D. States Dies at 89; Doctor Helped Create New York's Seatbelt Law". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ a b c d Yamey, Gavin (8 August 2015). "John Dunham States" (PDF). BMJ: 24.
- ^ John D. States "Preventive medicine for traffic accident injuries. Safety standards for automobiles." New York State Journal of Medicine 1966 Oct 15;66(20):2690-4.
- ^ John D. States "Improved upper-torso restraint system." New England Journal of Medicine 1970 May 21;282(21):1206-7.
- ^ Click it or ticket
- ^ Seat belt laws
- ^ NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts
- ^ NHTSA Impact of Seat Belt Laws
- ^ American Society for Public Health Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section Archived 2007-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ PubMed abstracts for John D. States
- ^ US Patent 3494664: Latch for Seat Belts
- ^ Singer, Patti. "Rochester orthopedist known as 'Dr. Seatbelt' dies". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
External links
edit- Sam Roberts: John D. States, Doctor Who Helped Create New York’s Seatbelt Law, Dies at 89. In: The New York Times, 1 April 2015